Wonder, Faith, Choice
by Itzika
Summary: In this world, there are three different Noahs. These children of wonder, faith, and choice will tear the Black Order's delicate balance to pieces. KandaAllen TykiLavi RoadLenalee Warning: OC
1. Prologue

Title: Wonder, Faith, and Choice

Chapter Title: Prologue

Summary: In this world, there are three different Noahs. These Noahs—the children of "wonder", "faith", and "choice"—will tear the Black Order's delicate balance to pieces. Yullen TykiLavi RoadLenalee OC

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man. I own Mie. That's about it.

Warnings: Blood, future violence, and an OC (I think it'll be just one…)

Pairings: Lavi/Tyki, Road/Lenalee, Kanda/Allen, Miranda/OC if no one objects (all slash)

A/N: Okay, this is an idea that I've been playing with for a while. Here's the OC note:

Mie is important to the story, so I can't take her out. She _isn't_ all-powerful, but she might seem annoyingly boundary-free at times. Blame Road. Mie's main purpose is so I can make everything I want to happen, happen. Now, I'm tempted to pair her with Miranda. If you don't want me to do that (I know I shy away from stories that have a someone/OC as a main pairing), please TELL ME. At this point, I'm not sure it'll happen either way, although I can promise she won't be paired with any more of a main character than Miranda.

This story will have Noah!Lavi, future Noah!Allen, and a very different Kanda who I can't explain yet.

On with the fic!

* * *

Dark as the room was, the girl working at a lab table seemed to be able to see perfectly. There was a soft sound of bubbling from different containers, which the girl directed to different tasks with a wave of her hand. A soft moan sounded from the corner.

Golden eyes looked up at the figure in the corner. The girl shook blue hair out of her eyes as she said sweetly, "Well, it wouldn't hurt if you'd just _do what I want_ already."

"Maybe it takes more than starvation," a young girl's voice suggested as a spiky-haired figure came into the area, dragging a shadowy something behind her. "Anyway, take a look, Mie. I brought a wonder for you."

The blue-haired girl stepped around the lab table, staring at the shadow. "Oh, dear," she murmured when she could see clearly, crouching down to look closely. "_You're_ not Tyki-kun."

"Can you fix him?" the little girl asked.

The other looked up at her, amused. "Do you _want_ me to?" she asked. "Does the _Earl_ want me to?"

"We're not going to tell the Earl." Golden gazes met, so steely sparks might have flown. "Not until it's too late for him to do anything about it."

The blue-haired girl grinned wickedly. "'Dreams' is breaking the rules," she said in a singsong.

The smaller of the two scowled back. "So, will you do it?"

"I will… indulge my wonder."

The scowl became a smile in half the space of a heartbeat. "That always means 'yes,'" she said, turning and walking away.

The blue-haired girl stared down at the shadowy figure. A snap of her fingers and he was suspended in the air in front of her, arms outstretched as though dangling from a crucifix.

"I know," she whispered.

* * *

Lavi woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. His hand shot up to his hair and he panicked as he realized he'd lost his headband during the night.

"Lavi?" a familiar voice asked as the door opened. "It's Cross. Bookman's still unconscious, so I need to ask you something—Lavi?"

Lavi had dived out of bed, frantically searching for that piece of cloth. He made sure not to look Cross' way as he looked everywhere he could reach.

"Lavi, what's wrong?" Cross' unmasked eye had narrowed suspiciously. "What are you doing?"

If he hadn't been watching so closely, he wouldn't have noticed the single drop of blood that fell to the floor. As it was, he missed nothing.

"Lavi, look at me," Cross commanded.

Lavi froze, noticing the blood that Cross had seen.

One hand moving to his gun, Cross moved to Lavi's side and grabbed his face, forcing the teen to look at him. Lavi's single green eye widened in surprise and fear.

Cross' hand tightened on the grip of his gun. A row of crosses was cut into the Bookman Apprentice's forehead. As Cross watched, another drop of blood slid down Lavi's face and fell to the floor.

"You're a Noah," he said softly. Half-remembered words played in his head.

Lavi nodded once.

"The Gatekeeper I can understand, but how did Hevlaska…" It clicked. "You've never been to see Hevlaska, have you?"

Lavi shook his head.

"Care to tell me how you managed that?" Cross released the boy.

"Bookman trick," Lavi said softly.

"But you're not going to tell me what that is, are you?"

"No." Lavi's expression had passed fear and moved on to defiance. "Going to shoot me now?"

"Why would I do that?" Cross looked genuinely surprised.

"Exorcists of the Black Order are sworn to—" Cross cut him off there.

"Defend humanity, fight the Millennium Earl and all his allies, blah, blah, blah. Noahs are human, right? It would be one thing if we were in a fight, but there's nothing noble or moral or anything like that about killing an injured kid who's scared to look at anyone without the protection of a headband and an eye patch." Cross' eye became curious. "Well, now I know what the headband is for… I don't suppose you're going to tell me what the eye patch protects you from?"

"No," Lavi confirmed. "I'm not."

"Fair enough." Cross reached over and retrieved the headband from where it had ended up (just on the other side of Lavi's pillow, where he'd had no time to check). "I'm also curious," he added as he handed Lavi the cloth, "how a Noah can use Innocence. But you're not going to tell me that, either, are you?"

Lavi stood, fixing the headband so it covered the cuts. He had to have had a lot of practice, Cross thought, to be able to do that without a mirror.

"No," he said again. "I guess I'm not." His secrets finally hidden, he turned back to face Cross. "You said you had a question for me?"

* * *

A/N: Feedback is much appreciated!


	2. The Next Mission

Title: Wonder, Faith, Choice

Chapter Title: Their Next Mission

Summary: In this world, there are three different Noahs. These Noahs—the children of "wonder", "faith", and "choice"—will tear the Black Order's delicate balance to pieces. Yullen TykiLavi RoadLenalee OC

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man. I own Mie. That's about it.

Warnings: Blood, future violence, spoilers through chapter 143, and an OC (I think it'll be just one…)

Pairings: Lavi/Tyki, Road/Lenalee, Kanda/Allen, Miranda/OC if no one objects (all slash)

A/N: This is the edited version after I had a day to think it over and realize the things I missed. There isn't much different, really… There's another question added to Cross' list; I added one sentence to his and Lavi's final conversation; and I mentioned when Bookman woke up.

Okay, I got one review and one fave. People who like this are lucky I like it so much, or I might have given up.

Anyway, I forgot to mention this last chapter.

THIS STORY TAKES PLACE AFTER CHAPTER 143. AS SUCH, THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS, AS WILL THE STORY.

Okay, as of the attack on the Black Order: Bookman is in a coma; Lulu Bell was injured but escaped and recovered quickly, as Noahs will; the Black Order has stopped setting a tail on Allen but still has a close eye on him via informants and reports; and Lenalee has synchronized with her new Parasite-type Anti-Akuma weapon, and her synchronization rate is back to a safe range.

Edit: Also, Kanda and Lavi's weapons have been repaired. I will show how next chapter.

And I PROMISE, Mie isn't all-powerful. There's a reason why Lavi is afraid of her, and it has nothing to do with her power (I mean her power in a fight… I guess it does have something to do with her overall abilities).

Please, tell me if you want or don't want Miranda and Mie together. I still don't know if it'll happen either way, but I'd like to know what you think.

Final note: Mie's name is pronounced: _MEE-ay._ In case anyone was wondering.

* * *

Bookman didn't wake up in the next week, so Cross continued to bring his questions to Lavi instead. Lavi noticed, however, that Cross' questions for _him_ were very different from the questions he would have asked the panda, more like an interrogation than an inquiry.

Lavi continued to refuse to answer any question that might tell Cross which Noah he was—what Noahs existed, how a Noah could use Innocence, etc., etc. The panda had to wake up sooner or later, and he couldn't risk Cross finding out about his… _reputation…_ when that happened. But he would answer other questions about the family.

"How did the Noah overtake Tyki Mikk?"

Lavi gave serious thought to that question. His final answer was, "I can't be sure, since it's never happened before, but… I'd guess that it's because there's a barrier between the 'person' and the 'Noah'. Allen cut that barrier instead of cutting the 'Noah'. If he'd cut again, he probably would have cut—and killed—the 'Noah', but as it was…" He shrugged.

"So Jasdebi and Skin Bolic are definitely dead?"

"Almost definitely."

"Almost?"

Lavi thought of trying to explain the Noah of "wonder" and shuddered inwardly. Aloud he said only, "It's not impossible for a dead Noah to be brought back. It's just… ridiculously _improbable…_ and it's never been managed."

Cross frowned. "Then how do you know it's possible?"

Lavi stopped himself from flinching at his slip. "The Noah family was given a gift…" he said slowly, "…that has yet to find anything impossible."

Cross didn't look satisfied, but he moved on.

"Does Bookman know?"

The question came so far out of left field that Lavi answered "No" before he even realized he'd decided to answer.

* * *

Golden eyes opened slowly onto darkness.

"Oh, good, you're awake." A girl with a willowy figure and paper-white skin walked into his field of vision. "You've had Road-chan _very_ worried, Tyki-kun."

Tyki's hand rose to his forehead and traced the cross-shaped cut he could feel there. "How…?"

"Allen-san meant to cut the 'Noah' inside you," she explained, crouching down beside him so he could see the eyes and crosses on her face that matched his. "Instead, he cut the 'barrier'. All I had to do was get the 'Noah' to back off and then reconstruct the 'barrier'."

"All you had to do…" Tyki laughed.

"Hey, you remember everything I did for my _toy,_ don't you **(1)**?" Golden eyes glittered. "Shutting down a 'Noah' for a few minutes is _nothing._ Now hold still a moment. I need to make sure the new 'barrier' is working right."

Tyki met her eyes and felt his sister dive into his mind. Her presence was like a scalpel sliding between layers of silk—there was no pain, but there was the warning for Tyki to hold _very_ still.

Mie was curious as ever, testing the barrier extensively, teasing the 'Noah' until she was sure that he would have broken through if he _could_ have, before finally that knife edge faded from Tyki's mind.

Tyki sat up slowly as Mie walked away. "I assume your new 'barrier' is fully operational, then," he said.

Mie nodded, already working on a different experiment. "Fully, completely, absolutely, totally, in a word, _yes,_" she muttered, watching two solutions mix.

"Good." Tyki stood and began walking out of the lab.

Mie's eyes snapped up to him. "Whoa! Wait a minute! Where are you going?"

Tyki grabbed the jacket that had wound up hanging on a convenient hook as he answered, "We've lost Jasdebi and Skin—"

"_Working _on it," Mie said tersely.

Tyki continued as though he hadn't heard. "We still haven't gotten a new Child of Faith—"

"I even know how to fix that one and you're _still_ railing on me," Mie complained.

"And the new Fourteenth might wake up at any time."

"Not a chance," Mie snapped, expression almost smug.

"I'm not going to let another precious Child keep fighting for the wrong side," Tyki concluded, exiting the lab.

Mie watched for a moment. "Wait," she finally called, running after him.

* * *

One week later

* * *

Lavi woke up on his own that day—he always made sure to wake up on his own now; the next Exorcist probably wouldn't be as unconventional as Cross. He was thus up, dressed, and with his eye patch and headband securely in place when someone knocked on his door.

Lavi opened the door to find Kanda. "Hello, Yuu-chan," he said happily, "what are you up to this morning?"

Kanda just glared. "There's a briefing," he snapped. "Get down there. Now."

Lavi smiled, wondering to himself what Kanda used to look like as he answered, "Okay. Are we allowed to have breakfast first?"

* * *

A quick breakfast eaten, Lavi met the other exorcists in the briefing room. He was surprised to count seven, plus himself: Kanda, Lenalee, Allen, Krory, Miranda, Cross, and Bookman were also apparently being assigned to this mission. Lavi wondered why Bookman was being given a mission when he hadn't even been out of bed three days.

"This is a very dangerous mission," Komui told them seriously, "and quite unlike anything we've ever encountered before. We've received reports from Finders stationed in a nearby town of a series of attacks. The Finders confirm sightings of more Akuma than we've ever had to deal with before."

"How many?" Lavi asked. _How many could they possibly have made?_ he wondered.

Komui's eyes were serious. "Put it this way: We've moved on from 'infestation' to 'population'."

Even Cross grew rigid in shock at that, but Komui wasn't finished. "And what's more," he added, "locals—those few locals who don't sprout guns when people start asking—have ID'ed Tyki Mikk, Road Kamelot, and Lulu Bell as being in the town, and have added that they are always accompanied by a blue-haired girl."

"Blue hair?" Lavi asked. _It couldn't be her; she never leaves her labs…_ "Not that we're likely to see many people with that feature, but do you have any more of a description?"

Komui shook his head. "Not much. 'A blue-haired adolescent female with white skin.'"

"Sounds like an Akuma," Allen said, but Cross' unmasked eye had fixed on Lavi.

Lavi was aware of the scrutiny and was trying very hard not to look at Kanda, who he knew must have also recognized the description **(2)**. _Why_ did those two have to be headed towards a confrontation? And with him in the middle, he'd be hard-pressed just to keep _his_ secret without worrying about Kanda's… And Tyki was there, the "pleasure" Noah who apparently, _she_ had fixed…

"Either way," Komui told them, "she spends far too much time around the Noahs to be anything but dangerous. Be careful of her—and of all of them."

Kanda was the first to break the silence. "So, we just have to clear the town of Akuma?" His eyes were narrowed; he knew from experience that nothing was ever that easy.

Sure enough, Komui added, "The Grand Generals believe that there must be a reason for there being so many Akuma and Noahs in the area. Your job is to get rid of the Akuma, find the reason, and get the Noahs out. If the reason is an Innocence, your job is to retrieve it; if it's something else, your job is to frustrate that goal. Understand?"

All the exorcists nodded.

Lavi left the room first, and wasn't surprised to find himself being followed by General Cross. He let the General follow him to the library and led him to a secluded corner where no one was listening.

Turning to face him, he asked, "Well?"

"Well what?" Cross replied, apparently amused by the short game.

Lavi restrained his sudden fury. Why his temper was so short lately… "What do you want to ask me?" His tone was sharper than he intended.

"You know their goal?" Cross asked.

Lavi's gaze shifted away immediately. He didn't really care that Cross would be suspicious. "I might," he answered. "But I can't be sure."

"Care to hazard a guess?" Cross kept his tone light despite the seriousness of the topic.

Lavi looked back at him. "I'd guess that their goal is to have some of the best Exorcists in the Black Order get sent out on a mission to clear out that town, and for those Exorcists to be stuck there until they find a reason that isn't there." It was half true, at least.

"All right." Cross nodded slightly. "Next question." Lavi knew what he was going to say before he began, and he wasn't disappointed. "The blue-haired girl. Who is she and why were you so scared of her?"

* * *

**(1)** This is not Miranda, not Lavi, and not anyone she'll fall in love with. I promise.

**(2)** No, Kanda is not a Noah; no, he never will be, unless a LOT of reviewers and an unexpected plot twist change my mind. I'll tell you that right now.

A/N: So there's the second chapter. I got it up quickly, right? I'll be encouraged to continue with that if you review! Please do review—if you like it, tell me; if there's something wrong, tell me (I know the chapters are short…); and if you just don't like it, tell me that too.


	3. Child of Choice

Title: Wonder, Faith, Choice

Chapter Title: Child of Choice

Summary: In this world, there are three different Noahs. These Noahs—the children of "wonder", "faith", and "choice"—will tear the Black Order's delicate balance to pieces. Yullen TykiLavi RoadLenalee OC

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man. I own Mie. That's about it.

Warnings: Blood, future violence, spoilers through chapter 143, and an OC (I think it'll be just one…)

Pairings: Lavi/Tyki, Road/Lenalee, Kanda/Allen, Miranda/OC if no one objects (all slash)

A/N: This is the EDITED version. It's basically the same as the unedited one.

Anyway, here we go. We get some answers this chapter, and another plothole gets filled in.

Please R&R!

* * *

Two weeks ago, during the attack on the Black Order Headquarters

* * *

Kanda felt completely useless. Mugen was broken, and with it his only way to help was gone. Lulu Bell's attack was unstoppable, and they would lose the "egg" to the Noahs…

The Noahs.

In desperation, Kanda left the mess hall and headed for his room. It was a stupid idea; he knew that. Making a deal with the devil was bad enough. Making a deal with a so-called Child of God was even worse. But it was all he had to fall back on.

Kanda entered his room and headed for the bedside, where the shards of Mugen lay, wrapped in a cloth.

_What are you going to _do,_ Yuu-chan?_ a familiar voice asked in his mind. _What _can_ you do?_ _Mugen is _broken.

_That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually,_ Kanda replied silently, evenly.

_Oh?_ The voice was suddenly interested. _Go on._

Satisfied that he had her undivided attention, Kanda asked, _Can you fix it?_

_In five minutes._ She was smug about it, as always.

_Will you?_

_Do you want me to?_ she countered, sounding like a five-year-old being offered a three-scoop ice cream cone.

Kanda hesitated only a moment. _Yes._

_Then I will—on one condition._

_What condition?_ Kanda asked warily.

_That you bring me the other shattered Innocence as well._

_Nyoibou? Lavi's hammer?_ Kanda was surprised. _Why?_

_I like experimenting,_ she said sweetly. _Will you do it?_

Kanda hesitated. He made a policy of not letting her mess with anything that didn't belong to him… But he had also sworn, a long time ago, that he would never be useless again.

_All right,_ he answered finally, and left to get Nyoibou from Lavi's room.

* * *

She didn't even come to Headquarters. Within five minutes, just as promised, Mugen and Nyoibou were both fixed. Kanda took the hammer and headed back to Lavi's room to drop it off.

Unfortunately, Lavi showed up before Kanda could get out.

"What are you doing?" the Bookman Apprentice asked.

Kanda turned. Lavi was watching him with one suspicious green eye. "Komui and Hevlaska managed to fix our Anti-Akuma weapons," he said. "I was dropping yours off."

Lavi stared at Kanda. The Japanese Exorcist didn't even blink as the redhead stared him down. _Of course, he'd have to be a good liar,_ Lavi thought wryly. _He's like me that way. But who really fixed the weapons? Did Kanda really go to _her?

"Thanks," was all he said aloud.

* * *

Today

* * *

"Who is she?" Cross repeated when Lavi didn't answer immediately.

Lavi glanced around the area, sensing rather than seeing Cross tense. The General was still unsure of Lavi's alliance; it would have been depressing, if the news of an unscheduled family reunion hadn't already put him too much on edge to care.

"Her name is Mie Amora," he answered when he was finally sure that no one was listening. "She's the Noah Child of 'wonder'." He hesitated then, unsure how much more he could safely say.

"Why are you so scared of her?"

Lavi sat down in one of the couches. This would take some time to explain without getting anyone killed. "I'm not scared of _her,_" he said. "I'm scared of what the Black Order will do w—if they ever find out about me. And she's the only one who's likely to tell them. Road has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't consider me family anymore," he explained, thinking of the parade of corpses, "so she won't claim any relation with me, including by calling me a Noah. Tyki has enough experience with playing human to understand that I don't want to be exposed, and to respect that. But Mie…" He sighed and shook his head. "Mie _wonders_ a lot. She'll _wonder_, sooner or later, what the Black Order would do if it knew that one of its 'precious Exorcists' is a Noah… and she won't care that what she wonders is exactly what I'm afraid of." He stopped himself from adding any other names to the list of people Mie might expose.

"You've met her?" Cross sat across from Lavi, watching him intently.

"Once." And what a cheery meeting _that_ had been. He'd barely joined the Black Order and a sister he'd never chosen wanted him to sneak her "toy" in under the Gatekeeper's nose—without letting said "toy" know who was behind it. "Other than that, what I know about her is from news reports or genetic memories of the Child of Wonder."

"Genetic memories?" Cross asked.

"We all have them," Lavi told him. "I don't like accessing them… It's hard to remember _me_ when I look at all the past Children—" He stopped abruptly, realizing just how close he'd come to telling Cross what Child he was—the only bit of information he could _never_ afford to give away, especially not now that the panda was awake again. "…Like me," he finished finally.

Cross seemed to realize how close Lavi had come to letting something slip, because he looked disappointed as he nodded and stood. "Well, we're leaving tomorrow," he said. "Make sure you're ready."

* * *

Like always, they were taking a train to the town where the attacks had been happening. Unlike always, they actually had tickets this time.

On the train, they split into pairs and headed to various compartments. There was no purpose to their being all in one place; if the train was attacked, which considering the danger of this mission was an unprecedented likelihood, it would be better for them to be spread out so that they wouldn't present such an obvious target.

Cross joined Lavi, which the youth had expected. Less than half an hour into the train ride, though, Cross got up to ask Bookman something (which set Lavi immediately on edge), and Lavi was left alone.

"Hello, _otouto,_" an all-too-familiar voice said a few minutes later. Lavi's head whipped around to see Tyki Mikk sitting next to him, smiling calmly.

"What are you doing here?" Lavi demanded, rising from his seat, one hand going to Nyoibou.

"Please, sit, _otouto,_" Tyki said in what was clearly meant to be a soothing voice. "I'm not here to hurt you—or your friends."

Lavi watched the older Noah for a long moment before sitting down across from him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I wouldn't have expected you to leave the town you were so eagerly terrorizing."

Tyki smiled calmly. "Don't lie, _otouto,_" he replied. "You fully expected that from me. You expect that Black or White, I will always look for the greatest amount of fun to be had. The person you didn't expect to abandon the town is Mie, the self-declared scientist who likes to find one lab and stay there; and she did not disappoint your expectations. She and Lulu Bell are still in the town."

"What about Road?" The idea scared Lavi more than he would admit. If Road was there, then she would be headed for—

"Road came along," Tyki said, smiling. "She's looking for an opportunity to meet with her 'doll'."

Tyki's smile was a little too friendly, his move across the compartment to sit beside Lavi a little too casual. Lavi pressed himself against the wall, but he didn't bother to try to move any further away.

"You know, Black or White, I fully expect you to be an insufferable flirt," he snapped, "but I never realized that you'd direct that kind of attention at your _family._" He spat the word out. He claimed no relation with these people. He never had.

Tyki's smile turned amused. "Oh, dear _otouto,_" he said, "you know better than that. Though we may call each other siblings, we are no more closely related than you are to Road's 'doll', or to Mie's 'toy'." He frowned. "And it's something I will never understand why you reject us, yet you will smile for them. You will let them touch you; you do not shy away from them; you call them by nicknames and treat them as family."

"Why wouldn't you understand that, Tyki?" Lavi asked, eyes narrowed. "I chose a different family. Why is that so strange?"

Tyki's smile faded. For once in his many lives, the Noah of 'pleasure' looked serious. "It isn't just _strange, otouto,_" he said. "It's _insanity._ We know _everything_ about you. We know what secrets you keep hidden under your headband and your eye patch; we know about the hammer hanging at your side and everything it means. We _know_ it, and we _accept _it. There is no secret you can tell us that will banish you from our family. But the Black Order knows only of the hammer you wield, and cares to know no more. Everyone you call a friend will no longer be such if they learn even _one_ of your secrets."

"Then I won't tell them," Lavi returned, trying not to show that his heart was pounding. He knew the truth of Tyki's words.

"You can't hide forever, _otouto,_" Tyki told him, pleading golden eyes boring into green. "It's a terrible truth, but you know I'm right. Your friends will abandon you when—not _if,_ but _when_—they find out why you wear that headband."

Lavi was paralyzed. How could he tell Tyki to stuff it when he knew from experience that everything he was saying was the honest truth?

Tyki smiled sadly and stood. "I won't interfere with your train ride, _otouto,_" he said. "That's not why I'm here. I wanted only to tell you that when you change your mind—when you decide to stop bleeding—our family is waiting, and we will welcome you."

With that, he left. Lavi tried not to stare after him.

* * *

Kanda and Allen had somehow wound up being stuck together in a compartment, much to Kanda's fury.

Allen had been playing Solitaire for most of the train ride. Kanda had just been staring out the window—or trying to, anyway. Somehow, every time he tried to focus on the scenery outside, he inevitably found his gaze drawn back to the other Exorcist.

_You could be with him, you know._

Kanda jerked. Allen looked up from his cards. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Kanda shook his head and went back to looking out the window, or rather at Allen's reflection.

_Come on, Yuu-chan. I can see through your eyes. You can't tell me you don't like him. You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool yourself—or me. He's stronger than you. He stands up to you, tells you things you don't want to hear. He's just compassionate enough to balance out your cynicism, and you're just realistic enough to balance his naïveté._

Kanda tried to act like he didn't know what the other person meant.

It didn't matter anyway. Allen was definitely off-limits to someone like him.

* * *

Cross listened closely to what Bookman had to tell him. The panda was much more open about the Noah family than his apprentice was, and even if his information was less complete, his honesty was something Cross had to be grateful for.

Bookman answered the question of "What Noahs are there", a question that Lavi had always refused to answer point-blank. When Cross followed that question with "Is there any way a Noah can use Innocence", Bookman stopped and watched him for a long moment. Cross met his eyes calmly, waiting for the old man to answer.

When he did, Cross' unmasked eye widened. He asked for more information, and by the time he stopped asking, he knew why Lavi had always been so careful not to mention the Noah Child of Choice.

* * *

_Otouto—_Japanese for "younger brother"

A/N: I'll post an edited version tomorrow, but there shouldn't be any big changes. Anyway, what do you think?


	4. A Room at the Inn

Title: Wonder, Faith, Choice

Chapter Title: A Room at the Inn

Summary: In this world, there are three different Noahs. These Noahs—the children of "wonder", "faith", and "choice"—will tear the Black Order's delicate balance to pieces. Yullen TykiLavi RoadLenalee OC

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man. I own Mie. That's about it.

Warnings: Blood, violence, spoilers through chapter 143, and an OC (one major one, plus a few fillers)

Pairings: Lavi/Tyki, Road/Lenalee, Kanda/Allen, Miranda/OC if no one objects (all slash)

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 4! It's been a week, which is a long time for this story… But if I waited until I finished the next scene, it would take a lot longer. So here's this chapter.

Oh, and I must now say that there will be a few more OCs, but they're just filler characters.

* * *

A man dressed in the white robes of a Finder stumbled down the road. The sound of footsteps followed him through quiet streets to a back alley that dead-ended against a wall, where the Finder stopped and turned, panting, to face his pursuers.

Both of them were pale as death. The girl looked almost normal, but for her stick-thin figure and paper-white skin; but the man, when he pushed back his cloak, revealed a right arm that was a three-foot-long needle and syringe filled with a strange, thick, luminescent liquid.

"This is the Un-Doctor," the girl told the Finder. "He's one of my specialized Akuma. Oh, but don't worry." Her eyes glittered. "He won't _kill_ you."

The Finder began backing away, but not quickly enough. Another figure faded out of the shadows and seized him by the arms, holding him still. The Un-Doctor approached slowly, syringe arm slowly lifting. The Finder watched in horrified fascination as the syringe bent as though it had an elbow.

Then the Un-Doctor pulled his arm back and stabbed it viciously into the Finder's neck.

The man's shrill scream tore through the air. The liquid emptied from the syringe quickly, as though hungry for the human it was being offered. When the syringe had emptied, the Finder collapsed to his knees, the Akuma behind him releasing him.

Leisurely steps announced the girl's approach. The man on the ground looked up at her. As she crouched in front of him, he saw for the first time her golden eyes and the crosses on her forehead.

"Noah…" he whispered.

"Yes," she agreed. One long, black-gloved finger reached out and ran down his face. He shuddered in revulsion. Ignoring his reaction, she continued, "And _you_ thought _I_ was an Akuma. It's ironic, really."

The Finder blinked, vision blurring. "Why—?"was all he managed to say before the stress and terror became too much for him and he passed out.

The Noah girl smiled and stood. "Take him back to their hotel," she ordered. "And make sure you're gone before he wakes up."

* * *

Cross didn't say anything about his meeting with Bookman when he returned to the compartment. Even as he was relieved, it made Lavi nervous. He almost wished Cross would just confront him.

They reached their inn before sunset. While the others looked for the Finders in the guest book, Lavi watched for the Noahs to leave the train station.

Road had disappointment etched on her face, and Tyki had reverted to his White form. Lavi guessed that Road hadn't gotten to see Lenalee (which, considering Lenalee's lack of panic, was pretty much a certainty), but was Tyki just trying to hide from Allen? It made the uncertainty all the more frustrating knowing that he could find out in an instant if he really wanted to.

The Finders met the Exorcists in one of the small dining rooms.

"We'll head into the town tomorrow," the taller Finder, Mack, told them. "Once night falls, the place empties and the Akuma take over. The inn's getting plenty of business," he added wryly.

_Where did they get so many Akuma?_ Lavi wondered suddenly. It should have occurred to him before. Sure, the Noahs _had_ enough Akuma to pull this off, but Mie would never have consented to dragging in enough of her precious lab rats to make this place an Akuma anthill. Besides, finding several hundred grieving families wasn't as easy as it sounded, and also happened to be almost a complete waste of time, especially if you were planning on just letting some Exorcists use the resulting Akuma for target practice. The Noahs had to have gotten some of the Akuma here.

"What do we know?" Lenalee asked as Lavi tuned back in to the conversation.

The second Finder, Juan, took up the thread of conversation. "The Noahs have been surprisingly peaceful."

"What, are they trying to hide?" Kanda almost laughed. Lavi would have joined him. The idea of Mie or Road trying to hide their heritage was honestly funny.

"No," Juan assured them, "it's nothing like that." His expression darkened. "I didn't say they were being _quiet,_" he specified. "Just peaceful. They show up everywhere, always with the crosses and golden eyes visible. Sir Walker's report said that Tyki Mikk has a 'normal' form, but he doesn't seem to be using it much."

"The blue-haired girl is still with them?" Allen asked.

"Every time," Mack said, nodding. His right hand ran, apparently unconsciously, up and down his left forearm. "She's always with them when one of them shows up in the town. Once or twice she's gone out on her own, but usually she's with them."

"Road Kamelot seems determined to expose them as Noahs," Juan added. "She uses her ability every time she comes into contact with someone, but never to kill them—only to show off, or at most to hurt them."

_So they're letting the Akuma do the work,_ Lavi thought. _They really are just trying to get me here. What are you going to do then, Tyki? Are you going to expose me now that I'm off the train?_

"Peaceful or not, they'll most likely attack when they see us," he said aloud. _'Most likely' meaning '100 certainty'… The only question is who, if anyone, they will leave alone._

"Agreed," Cross said. Turning to the Finders, he asked, "What about the Akuma?"

"The Noahs each command several," Mack answered, rubbing at his arm again. Lavi's eye flicked down to the man's arm. What was it that he was reacting to? "They attack far more often than do the Noahs."

"And they are obsessed with protecting the Noahs, too," Juan added. "Anytime someone comes near or starts asking about the Noahs, at least five Akuma transform."

_They're willing to kill everyone in this town to get what they want, then,_ Lavi thought, frowning. _This _can't_ just be about me._

Mack's hand had finally moved away from his arm again. Lavi saw, so quickly he couldn't be sure he hadn't imagined it, the vein stand out and then fade back in, as though a bubble had formed in the blood and run along the vein.

He suddenly felt sick just looking at the Finder.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" he interrupted. "We know about the Noahs and the Akuma; if there's nothing else, we should get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Juan nodded in agreement. "That's all," he said, standing.

The Exorcists stood as well. After quick "Good night's", they separated and headed to their rooms.

* * *

Lavi couldn't sleep that night. His head felt like someone had sliced it open with a red-hot scalpel, as though it was trying to make up for the half-numbed pain he'd gotten away with recently. When he touched his forehead under the headband, his fingers came away sticky with blood.

His right eye was driving him crazy, showing him glimpses even through his eye patch; and the Innocence on his nightstand was a constant reminder of what would happen the next day that did nothing but aggravate his Noah genes even more.

"_Dammit,_" he hissed finally, giving up on sleep and standing. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well take a walk.

Slipping out the door, he was confronted almost immediately by General Cross Marian.

"Lavi," Cross said. "You're up late."

"So are you," Lavi shot back. "Watching to make sure I don't kill anyone?"

"No," Cross said simply.

"Then what the hell are you doing out here?" Lavi demanded.

Cross reached out and before Lavi could react, snatched his headband away. Lavi's one green eye widened. "What are you—Give that back!" he demanded.

Cross watched him for a moment. Lavi knew what he saw; he could feel the blood from the cuts on his forehead sliding down his face.

"I knew the Fourteenth," Cross said softly, "a long time ago. He told me that when he tried to actively defy the Noahs, it was worse. I don't know if there's anything that can be done… but I figured this would probably happen." He handed the headband back.

Lavi wiped off some of the blood on his face with his hand and put the headband back on. "Yeah," he answered, just as softly. "I really should have seen this coming. Not like there's anything I could have done…" he added wryly.

"Pretty much unavoidable, huh?" Cross asked.

Lavi laughed bitterly. "It's ironic, really. I'm the one 'precious Child of God' who's guaranteed the right, every generation, to refuse to mission of the Noah family." His eye was sad. "But I really don't have a choice. I've never—"

"No 'precious Exorcist', let alone a General, ever managed to avoid the Black Order for four solid years, either," Cross interrupted. "I managed it."

Lavi's hand rose to his headband. "You didn't have a constant reminder of why you should go back, though," he argued.

"No… Just my Anti-Akuma weapon," Cross said. "And as a reminder of why I _didn't _want to go back, I had Maria. And as a reminder of why _you_ don't want to go back to your 'family', you have Nyoibou."

Lavi stared at Cross. The General had no love for his apprentice, no loyalty to the Black Order… yet he was standing here, stubbornly refusing to let Lavi believe he was going to fall.

"Either way, I won't be much good in a fight tomorrow," Lavi said finally. "If there was only one of them, maybe… but the more of them there are, the more of a betrayal it is for me to try to fight them."

Suddenly he remembered something he had needed to tell the General. "When we split up tomorrow," he asked, "are we splitting up into two groups or into pairs?"

"Pairs, most likely," Cross answered. "Why?"

Lavi looked up at Cross. "Make it groups of three with the Finders," he said. "Two Exorcists with each Finder. Trust me."

Cross frowned. "What's wrong with them?"

Lavi sighed. Trust Cross to ask that question. "The one Finder, Mack… he's sick."

"You'd think he would have mentioned it."

"He doesn't know." Lavi didn't see any way to talk around the subject, so he finally just said, "Mie has a few 'specialized Akuma'. One of them is the Un-Doctor… who has the ability to turn living souls into Akuma slaves."

"That's not possible," Cross said sharply.

"Don't you remember how I described Mie the first time, when you didn't know she was a Noah, or even a person?" Lavi watched him cynically for an answer.

"A gift…" Cross said slowly, "…that has yet to find anything impossible."

"Yup," Lavi said. "Mie is very interested in Akuma. She wants to know everything about them—whether you can make a specialized Akuma, programmed for a certain ability from Level 1; whether you can level _down_ an Akuma, and what will happen when it reaches Level 0—actually, last I heard, she was still working on that one; whether you can make a living soul into an Akuma…" _whether you can use the Akuma procedure to truly revive a person,_ he added silently. He wouldn't mention that one out loud. Cross knew that he was a Noah; there was no need to put anyone else's secrets at risk.

"How do you know about these things?" Cross asked. "Genetic memories wouldn't help you when you get into this generation."

"I've met Mie," he answered shortly. "I've encountered others. And even when family loyalty fails, there are ways to ask questions so that they'll answer."

Cross nodded, obviously unsatisfied. "Good night, Lavi," he finally said.

"Good night, General," Lavi replied.


End file.
